jt4527
Well-Known Member
Finished a book, started a book:
2023 Reading Challenge
- Thread starter Selaws
- Start date
avecigrec
Well-Known Member
Book 42
Star Wars: The High Republic - The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray
Eagerly anticipating the imminent arrival of the first book in Phase 3 at my local library, I figured this was the perfect time to finally read the final book of Phase 1 (Phase 2 takes place in the past, so the first book of Phase 3 is the direct continuation from the end of Phase 1.) I already knew most, or all, of the biggest plot points due to having read nearly all of the other Phase 1 media but this was still an emotional roller coaster, being right in the thick of it. Things seem pretty bleak headed into the next chapter, and I'm here for it! The next year and a half or so it'll take for the entirety of Phase 3 to release is going to feel oh so very long!
Star Wars: The High Republic - The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray
Eagerly anticipating the imminent arrival of the first book in Phase 3 at my local library, I figured this was the perfect time to finally read the final book of Phase 1 (Phase 2 takes place in the past, so the first book of Phase 3 is the direct continuation from the end of Phase 1.) I already knew most, or all, of the biggest plot points due to having read nearly all of the other Phase 1 media but this was still an emotional roller coaster, being right in the thick of it. Things seem pretty bleak headed into the next chapter, and I'm here for it! The next year and a half or so it'll take for the entirety of Phase 3 to release is going to feel oh so very long!
Well, I did it. I bailed on John Irving's The Last Chairlift. I was trying to hang in there, but found was picking it up less and less, then I realized I was just trying to get through pages, instead of enjoying it. All this before I got to page 400 of 900. I hate not finishing a book but I just couldn't do it.
Turbo
Well-Known Member
Every once in a while, you just have to drop something and move on to something else. There's only so much time for reading, no point in wasting it on something you don't feel.
jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
Life's too short to waste on a book that you dislike.
Exactly!
Mr Moore
Well-Known Member
November 2023
Book 51: Autumn - Ali Smith
I absolutely loved this, what a book. The story tells of friendship between a young girl (now a woman) and an old man (now a 101 year old bed-ridden chap). Looking back and forth between their shared history through to a today that has just seen the vote to leave the European Union pass, in a country that is as divided as maybe never before. Sub-histories of Pauline Boty, the only female British pop-artist and Christine Keeler, the woman who broke a government are integrated seamlessly into the narrative. It's wonderfully written and deeply emotional at times. I'd planned to read each of this series during the corresponding seasons and I think I'll stick to that but, I really had to fight the urge to dive straight into Winter.
Book 52: Lincoln in the Bardo - George Saunders
What a wild ride this is. Incomparable to anything I've ever read - it's undeniably a novel but, the form is so different, the chapters made up solely of either quotes from previous non-fiction texts or from characters existing in the bardo, each one complete with citation. It's funny and absurd at times, but it is also, without a doubt, one of the most moving depictions of fatherly grief following the loss of a child I've ever read. Truly wonderful, worthy of all the praise and prizes and would recommend to anyone.
Book 53: Nobody's Fool - Richard Russo
Lovely, full of heart, warm tale of small-town America and the cast of characters that fill it. Led by Sully, a 60 year old hard-grafting, hard-drinking, permanently ill-at-luck (although my assessment is more that of a consumate bad-decision maker), who trundles through this stage of life dealing with a bad knee, bad insurance cover and a life-long resentment of his dead father. Nothing much happens but, that's alright. This is a story more about people than any grand plot. It's my second Russo after Empire Falls and I'm definitely a fan. He's like a Franzen-lite and I mean that with no disrespect at all. He writes about similar people doing similar things but, there just feels like there's a little more joy with a little less complication and fewer bookish intellectuals than in Franzen's world. I've room for both in my life.
Book 54: Lanark - Alasdair Gray
Well, I thought I was heading for a 100% 5-star month but, I found this one a little bit too difficult to say I fully enjoyed, appreciated, understood it even. Where I found Saunders' take on the experimental novel a joy to get to grips with and enjoy, this one which flits between time and space at a whim; delivers the text in a Book Three, One, Two, Four sequence; and gives characters and locations different names at different times was heavy-going. Essentially, it's two books about two different but the same cities, Glasgow and Unthank and two different but the same lead characters, Thaw and Lanark. It's big and complex and if I had the time in my life to read it a second time, I dare say I'd enjoy it more having revelations towards the end (in a prologue that appears before the last three chapters!) that allow earlier sections to make more sense. It wasn't wholly a dud - far from it. There's a wit, wisdom, vast knowledge and reference to past literature, and the central Thaw novel set in Glasgow of Books One and Two were an excellent portrayal of the artist as a young man and his descent into madness. The surrounding Books Three and Four however, were a bit too fantasy/sci-fi for my tastes. It reminded me in parts of Vonnegut's absurdities (who is referenced in the book), and sections of Infinite Jest and Piranisi too. To say I'm glad I finished it but, maybe wish I hadn't started it would probably be unfair because there's a lot here I did enjoy. I just found it a challenge at times but, still an impressive four star novel for me.
Book 55: Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
Definitely back in five star territory. This book is so rich in both style and storytelling. Every sentence seems brimming with information and with a flourish in a second language that puts this native English speaker to shame. Nabokov shows his characters in the way they speak, their movements and disposition, their names even, never outwardly telling us but, creating a fully formed being to those prepared to pay full attention. And attention has to be paid, I found. There is so much here that even going back and rescanning sentences that I initially found difficult would indeed reveal more but also demand a third and sometimes fourth scan to make the most of it. I don't often find myself doing this with books preferring to simply take the words at face value but this book felt like it deserved more of a focussed read. And then there's the story which is difficult to say the least. Over the years, I've only heard the term 'Lolita' used to describe a young girl who would use her sexuality to seduce, to lead an older man astray. Remarkable that we've allowed victim-blaming of our most vulnerable to even cloud our language. Nabokov's Lolita is a victim of cruel and consistent abuse, molestation, rape by a self-confessed paedophile who uses his charm and good looks to enter her life and even marry her mother to be closer to her. He drugs her, he bribes her with small amounts of money or material goods then threatens her with losing that lifestyle if she were to tell. How the 4 or 5 year story unfolds from a prison cell is unbelievably clever from the faux-introduction to the afterword. My first Nabokov but there will have to be more.
Book 56: The Lost Estate (Le Grand Meaulnes) - Henri Alain-Fournier
This one was OK, nothing that made me consider it a masterpiece as I'd read many refer to it as. A teenage boy narrates a tale of his titular friend, Meaulnes, who got lost one day and stumbled on a great estate. There, a party was being held for an engagement that fell through. While there he fell for a pretty girl, the sister of the fiancé-that-never-was. Eventually finding his way home, he resumed his school-life, but vows to return to the estate in order to make a go of it with the pretty girl. Sadly, he can never find the lost estate. Later, a troublesome gypsy arrives in their village who turns out to be the jilted fiancé from the estate party, now a troubled young man. The story progresses with a series of coincidental meetings and events that are just too contrived resulting in tragedy for some, and delight for others. I'm told it's widely read in French schools and perhaps it is better appreciated by more youthful readers. Its compactness was a saving grace.
Book 51: Autumn - Ali Smith
I absolutely loved this, what a book. The story tells of friendship between a young girl (now a woman) and an old man (now a 101 year old bed-ridden chap). Looking back and forth between their shared history through to a today that has just seen the vote to leave the European Union pass, in a country that is as divided as maybe never before. Sub-histories of Pauline Boty, the only female British pop-artist and Christine Keeler, the woman who broke a government are integrated seamlessly into the narrative. It's wonderfully written and deeply emotional at times. I'd planned to read each of this series during the corresponding seasons and I think I'll stick to that but, I really had to fight the urge to dive straight into Winter.
Book 52: Lincoln in the Bardo - George Saunders
What a wild ride this is. Incomparable to anything I've ever read - it's undeniably a novel but, the form is so different, the chapters made up solely of either quotes from previous non-fiction texts or from characters existing in the bardo, each one complete with citation. It's funny and absurd at times, but it is also, without a doubt, one of the most moving depictions of fatherly grief following the loss of a child I've ever read. Truly wonderful, worthy of all the praise and prizes and would recommend to anyone.
Book 53: Nobody's Fool - Richard Russo
Lovely, full of heart, warm tale of small-town America and the cast of characters that fill it. Led by Sully, a 60 year old hard-grafting, hard-drinking, permanently ill-at-luck (although my assessment is more that of a consumate bad-decision maker), who trundles through this stage of life dealing with a bad knee, bad insurance cover and a life-long resentment of his dead father. Nothing much happens but, that's alright. This is a story more about people than any grand plot. It's my second Russo after Empire Falls and I'm definitely a fan. He's like a Franzen-lite and I mean that with no disrespect at all. He writes about similar people doing similar things but, there just feels like there's a little more joy with a little less complication and fewer bookish intellectuals than in Franzen's world. I've room for both in my life.
Book 54: Lanark - Alasdair Gray
Well, I thought I was heading for a 100% 5-star month but, I found this one a little bit too difficult to say I fully enjoyed, appreciated, understood it even. Where I found Saunders' take on the experimental novel a joy to get to grips with and enjoy, this one which flits between time and space at a whim; delivers the text in a Book Three, One, Two, Four sequence; and gives characters and locations different names at different times was heavy-going. Essentially, it's two books about two different but the same cities, Glasgow and Unthank and two different but the same lead characters, Thaw and Lanark. It's big and complex and if I had the time in my life to read it a second time, I dare say I'd enjoy it more having revelations towards the end (in a prologue that appears before the last three chapters!) that allow earlier sections to make more sense. It wasn't wholly a dud - far from it. There's a wit, wisdom, vast knowledge and reference to past literature, and the central Thaw novel set in Glasgow of Books One and Two were an excellent portrayal of the artist as a young man and his descent into madness. The surrounding Books Three and Four however, were a bit too fantasy/sci-fi for my tastes. It reminded me in parts of Vonnegut's absurdities (who is referenced in the book), and sections of Infinite Jest and Piranisi too. To say I'm glad I finished it but, maybe wish I hadn't started it would probably be unfair because there's a lot here I did enjoy. I just found it a challenge at times but, still an impressive four star novel for me.
Book 55: Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
Definitely back in five star territory. This book is so rich in both style and storytelling. Every sentence seems brimming with information and with a flourish in a second language that puts this native English speaker to shame. Nabokov shows his characters in the way they speak, their movements and disposition, their names even, never outwardly telling us but, creating a fully formed being to those prepared to pay full attention. And attention has to be paid, I found. There is so much here that even going back and rescanning sentences that I initially found difficult would indeed reveal more but also demand a third and sometimes fourth scan to make the most of it. I don't often find myself doing this with books preferring to simply take the words at face value but this book felt like it deserved more of a focussed read. And then there's the story which is difficult to say the least. Over the years, I've only heard the term 'Lolita' used to describe a young girl who would use her sexuality to seduce, to lead an older man astray. Remarkable that we've allowed victim-blaming of our most vulnerable to even cloud our language. Nabokov's Lolita is a victim of cruel and consistent abuse, molestation, rape by a self-confessed paedophile who uses his charm and good looks to enter her life and even marry her mother to be closer to her. He drugs her, he bribes her with small amounts of money or material goods then threatens her with losing that lifestyle if she were to tell. How the 4 or 5 year story unfolds from a prison cell is unbelievably clever from the faux-introduction to the afterword. My first Nabokov but there will have to be more.
Book 56: The Lost Estate (Le Grand Meaulnes) - Henri Alain-Fournier
This one was OK, nothing that made me consider it a masterpiece as I'd read many refer to it as. A teenage boy narrates a tale of his titular friend, Meaulnes, who got lost one day and stumbled on a great estate. There, a party was being held for an engagement that fell through. While there he fell for a pretty girl, the sister of the fiancé-that-never-was. Eventually finding his way home, he resumed his school-life, but vows to return to the estate in order to make a go of it with the pretty girl. Sadly, he can never find the lost estate. Later, a troublesome gypsy arrives in their village who turns out to be the jilted fiancé from the estate party, now a troubled young man. The story progresses with a series of coincidental meetings and events that are just too contrived resulting in tragedy for some, and delight for others. I'm told it's widely read in French schools and perhaps it is better appreciated by more youthful readers. Its compactness was a saving grace.
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avecigrec
Well-Known Member
Book 43
Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones
If you like her, you're gonna love it; if you don't, you probably won't. I do, and very much did.
Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones
If you like her, you're gonna love it; if you don't, you probably won't. I do, and very much did.
Ericj32
Well-Known Member
Glad that you enjoyed this. I really felt swept off my feet and completely charmed and wowed by this, but it's such a weird book that I'm still always kind of surprised and relieved to hear other people say that they loved it. I get excited to recommend it to people but then struggle to find the right words to describe it in a way that sounds as funny and captivating as it actually is.
Mr Moore
Well-Known Member
Similar here, I was telling my dad about it at the weekend and I think my passion alone sold him but I know I did a really shoddy job of explaining it. I keep referring back to the one chapter solely about the moon - I loved the way he used so many different sources to display how fluid 'facts' can be.
Ericj32
Well-Known Member
It might be a little late in the year to log my first completed book, but, oh well, haha. It's not a long one either...
I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere on here, but Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These is a short novella (the audiobook is just under 2 hours long) set in an Irish town in 1985 in the days leading up to Christmas (a SEASONALLY APPROPRIATE READ). It's kind of stunning how quickly the author is able to sketch out the characters and atmosphere and set up the questions that drive the narrative. She has an impressive sense of which details to include and which to leave to the reader's imagination. The main character is a humble, hardworking father and husband who is trying to do his best but still has questions about his own identity and is trying to provide for his family in all the ways that will matter - and in the midst of all of this, he's confronted by cruelty within his community and suddenly has to figure out what, if anything, to do about it. I was kind of nervous as to how it would all resolve and how satisfied I would be by the ending, but I found myself somehow thrilled by the last couple of pages. YMMV, but you could probably read it in one sitting, so I think it's definitely worth the time investment.
I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere on here, but Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These is a short novella (the audiobook is just under 2 hours long) set in an Irish town in 1985 in the days leading up to Christmas (a SEASONALLY APPROPRIATE READ). It's kind of stunning how quickly the author is able to sketch out the characters and atmosphere and set up the questions that drive the narrative. She has an impressive sense of which details to include and which to leave to the reader's imagination. The main character is a humble, hardworking father and husband who is trying to do his best but still has questions about his own identity and is trying to provide for his family in all the ways that will matter - and in the midst of all of this, he's confronted by cruelty within his community and suddenly has to figure out what, if anything, to do about it. I was kind of nervous as to how it would all resolve and how satisfied I would be by the ending, but I found myself somehow thrilled by the last couple of pages. YMMV, but you could probably read it in one sitting, so I think it's definitely worth the time investment.
mgp
Well-Known Member
I echo the thoughts for Lincoln in the Bardo. I read that one last year (I think) and find myself coming back to it often. BUT I'm not sure how many people I would recommend it to, because I'm sure I couldn't even do it justice in the description. (I keep meaning to check out the audiobook too. If you haven't, check out the cast on that!)
I've been working my way through Saunders' short stories, and my brother recently shared this interview he did with a NY Times podcast. The world would be a better place if we all were just a bit more like George Saunders. Wow, that sounded preachy.
I've been working my way through Saunders' short stories, and my brother recently shared this interview he did with a NY Times podcast. The world would be a better place if we all were just a bit more like George Saunders. Wow, that sounded preachy.
jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
Started book # 42 of the year. Working on my WW2 history book merit badge.
Amazon product ASIN 1623659175
Amazon product ASIN 1623659175
Bull Shannon
Well-Known Member
Book 34: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I'm a sucker for Taylor Jenkins Reid, and this novel seems like the inflection point in her career, the book booktok adores (if every Criterion Closet video includes one mention of Being There, every booktok suggestion video must flash Seven Husbands). I enjoyed it for the most part; a journalist is invited into a reclusive Hollywood starlet's home to write her tell-all biography, with her seven highly-publicized marriages as the skeleton of the tale. The ending was rather silly imo; I prefer Daisy Jones and the Six.
Book 35: Chain-Gang All-Stars, by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
In rare form and spurred on by my utter unfamiliarity with anything on the yearly goodreads poll, I have picked up a buzzy new release. In a not-so-unfamiliar (elbows you slyly) near-future, prisoners can compete in televised gladiatorial battles for their freedom. This felt like a short story or novella padded out to novel length, and while there are many characters and perspectives shared, there's kind of just one story here. The writing is sharp and propulsive, but there's an emphasis on worldbuilding over story and didactic circumstances take precedence over character.
Book 36: Foucault's Pendulum, by Umberto Eco
I read this in the background of the previous two, as it was work to get through. I don't mean to be dismissive, and maybe I should have been flipping through wikipedia to verse myself on some of the subjects discussed, but it felt like the point was to throw the reader into discursive discussions of historical theory and have a bit of a laugh over the imperceptible line between a logical conclusion and a fantabulist conspiracy. The bulk of the text consists of long discussions about history and is quite dry.
avecigrec
Well-Known Member
Book 44
Star Wars: The High Republic - The Eye of Darkness by George Mann
Phase 3 has officially begun! We're nearly two years from the end of the saga now, and it's gonna be a long ride. George Mann is probably my least favourite of all the writers involved with The High Republic initiative, but he turns in a solid effort with this one, picking up the pieces one year after the end of The Fallen Star. It took me a little bit to get my momentum going with this one, which I think was as much life circumstance as it was settling into Mann's story but the back two thirds of the book moved briskly! This one's a pretty grim outing, and I'm here for it.
Star Wars: The High Republic - The Eye of Darkness by George Mann
Phase 3 has officially begun! We're nearly two years from the end of the saga now, and it's gonna be a long ride. George Mann is probably my least favourite of all the writers involved with The High Republic initiative, but he turns in a solid effort with this one, picking up the pieces one year after the end of The Fallen Star. It took me a little bit to get my momentum going with this one, which I think was as much life circumstance as it was settling into Mann's story but the back two thirds of the book moved briskly! This one's a pretty grim outing, and I'm here for it.
Selaws
Well-Known Member
Book 32: Jack Reacher: Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child (Bantam, 2010)
Book 33: Colour by Victoria Finlay (Random House Inc, 2002)
I might have time to squeeze 1 or 2 more books in before the new year, but for now here are my last 2 reads. Jack Reacher is my go-to easy read and im pretty sure this is the last one of the 29 books that I had to read (apart from the latest release). Colour follows Victoria Finlay's adventures across the world finding the origins or rare colours, and its a lot more interesting than it might sound
Book 33: Colour by Victoria Finlay (Random House Inc, 2002)
I might have time to squeeze 1 or 2 more books in before the new year, but for now here are my last 2 reads. Jack Reacher is my go-to easy read and im pretty sure this is the last one of the 29 books that I had to read (apart from the latest release). Colour follows Victoria Finlay's adventures across the world finding the origins or rare colours, and its a lot more interesting than it might sound
jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
So I am part way through book #43 of the year. I actually finished book 43 earlier this week (Michael Palin's Great Uncle Harry) while at my in-laws. And I am back to book #42 which I am about half way through. I will definitely finish it before the end of the year, and will start something else but not sure if I will make it through #44 by the end of 2023. Either way, a much higher total than I had hoped for this year which was 26 books. In 2024 I am going to give myself a target of 35 books.
According to my spreadsheet I have read about 13,000 pages this year. I really think a big part of this has been the Kobo, with only 5 of the 43 books being physical books. I am able to pick up the Kobo without any other distractions. But also another part of being able to read (and enjoy) more books this year has been kicking social media. Not having that siren song calling me every time I see my phone sitting on the coffee table has been liberating as hell.
According to my spreadsheet I have read about 13,000 pages this year. I really think a big part of this has been the Kobo, with only 5 of the 43 books being physical books. I am able to pick up the Kobo without any other distractions. But also another part of being able to read (and enjoy) more books this year has been kicking social media. Not having that siren song calling me every time I see my phone sitting on the coffee table has been liberating as hell.
avecigrec
Well-Known Member
Book 45
Rum, Sodomy & The Lash by Jeffrey T. Roesgen
Easily the most conceptual entry I've yet to read in the 33 1/3 series, this one is a hybrid of fiction and fact. The fictional narrative inserts The Pogues into the story behind the sailing that led to the raft depicted in the painting used for the album cover, while the factual bits examine one song at a time interspersed through the narrative, then tie everything together in the end. I can see why a lot of people on Goodreads might hate it, but I thought the conceit was interesting and the author did a fine enough job of pulling it together. It certainly isn't the most biographical book about The Pogues you can read, but it's a fun little tome that explores an amazing album in a somewhat unique way.
Book 46
Transitions: A Mother's Journey by Élodie Durand
An intimate and uncompromising exploration of a mother's coming to terms with and understanding of her child's transition as she "loses" a daughter and "gains" a son. Often uncomfortable and at times ugly, this graphic novel is wonderfully illustrated and lovingly translated from its original French.
Rum, Sodomy & The Lash by Jeffrey T. Roesgen
Easily the most conceptual entry I've yet to read in the 33 1/3 series, this one is a hybrid of fiction and fact. The fictional narrative inserts The Pogues into the story behind the sailing that led to the raft depicted in the painting used for the album cover, while the factual bits examine one song at a time interspersed through the narrative, then tie everything together in the end. I can see why a lot of people on Goodreads might hate it, but I thought the conceit was interesting and the author did a fine enough job of pulling it together. It certainly isn't the most biographical book about The Pogues you can read, but it's a fun little tome that explores an amazing album in a somewhat unique way.
Book 46
Transitions: A Mother's Journey by Élodie Durand
An intimate and uncompromising exploration of a mother's coming to terms with and understanding of her child's transition as she "loses" a daughter and "gains" a son. Often uncomfortable and at times ugly, this graphic novel is wonderfully illustrated and lovingly translated from its original French.
Thackeraye
Well-Known Member
Fancied something easier to read after a book about mental health in the music business, so I started what turned out to be a book about mental health and video games…